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HYDRA
"HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize is that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite, inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crises, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed." : ―Arnim Zola to Captain America and Black Widowsrc HYDRA is a terrorist-criminal-paramilitary organization bent on world domination. It was founded in ancient times as a secret society centered around the fanatical worship of a powerful Inhuman that was exiled to the planet Maveth by ancient Inhumans. Ever since his banishment, the cult has been determined to bring him back to Earth to commence a planetary takeover. Over the centuries, the cult evolved, taking many forms, with its most recent incarnation coming into existence shortly after the rise of Nazism in Germany byJohann Schmidt as the scientific branch of the NaziSchutzstaffel. During this time, the cult took on the name HYDRA, which has become the organization's most colloquial label. During World War II, Schmidt separated HYDRA from Nazi Germany to start his own conquest of the world. After its defeat at the hands of Captain America in 1945 and the subsequent disappearance of Johann Schmidt, HYDRA was secretly rebuilt inside S.H.I.E.L.D. by Schmidt's top scientist Arnim Zola, who was recruited into the agency during Operation Paperclip. Though Zola's body died in the early 1970s, HYDRA was already well established, and Zola's mind continued to live in a computer. In the following decades, HYDRA continued trying to find a way to bring their Inhuman leader back while simultaneously feeding crises around the world in secret, aiming to create a society that would accept the fascist New World Order just to gain its security; this in turn would allow the Earth to fall to the dark Inhuman more easily. By the beginning of the 21st century, operatives of HYDRA managed to spread outside of S.H.I.E.L.D., infiltrating many important organizations, including the United States Government and the World Security Council, eventually establishing many secret bases around the world. One of HYDRA's top agents in S.H.I.E.L.D., John Garrett, secretly led the Centipede Project with the goal to recreate the Super Soldier. In 2014, HYDRA's plans for world domination almost succeeded through their agent Alexander Pierce and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project Insight. However, their plan to eliminate 20 million people who posed a threat to HYDRA failed because of the efforts of HYDRA's oldest enemy,Captain America, who publicly exposed their infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and destroyed their main tool of destruction, three of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarriers. However, HYDRA's leader Wolfgang von Strucker already had new plans for global domination, plans which included twins declared "miracles" and the Scepter. With its existence publicly known, HYDRA started a waragainst the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D., taking over many S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. For many months, HYDRA's forces led by John Garrett fought a vicious fight against the small teamof loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Phil Coulson. Despite its attempt to infiltrate the U.S. Armed Forces through Ian Quinn and the Deathlok Soldiers, Garrett's group was ultimately defeated through the combined efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s former director Nick Fury, Coulson's team, and the U.S. Marines. However, even that defeat was only a temporary setback for HYDRA. S.H.I.E.L.D. was destroyed and publicly declared a terrorist organization, and many HYDRA agents continued with their work, including the high ranking member Daniel Whitehall who used the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. to start the campaign to recover the mysterious Obelisk. However, thecampaign ended disastrously for HYDRA. Whitehall was killed before he could fully exploit the Obelisk, his second in command Sunil Bakshi was captured, and many other heads of HYDRA were killed by HYDRA itself when S.H.I.E.L.D. fooled them into thinking that there was a power struggle within HYDRA's ranks. Two of the remaining heads of HYDRA, Baron von Strucker and Doctor List, continued with their experiments on powered individuals. However, even their experiments came to an end when the Avengersattacked and captured Strucker's fortress in Sokovia. Despite the deaths of the leaders and destruction of most of the bases, Grant Ward decided to rebuild HYDRA and become its new head, with some of the remaining operatives pledging their loyalty to him. Eventually Ward joined forces with Gideon Malick, the only remaining head of the old HYDRA, who revealed him HYDRA's true purpose of bringing back the dark Inhuman. Ward went toMaveth to retrieve the dark Inhuman to Earth but he was killed by Coulson. However, the Inhuman took possession on Ward's body and returned to Earth in it. History HYDRA Society Foundation : "Thousands of years ago, an Inhuman was born on this planet that was destined to rule it, so powerful, so fearsome that others were consumed with dread, and so they banished it from the Earth, sent it through the portal to a distant planet. HYDRA was founded with the sole purpose of engineering its return." : ―Gideon Malicksrc Thousands of years ago, a rogue Kree faction created the Inhumans on prehistoric Earth. The ruling Kree hierarchy, deeming the creation of the Inhumans a mistake, conceived the Monolith as a means of wiping them out by transporting them across space to another planet.1 One day, an Inhuman was born so powerful, that others banished him to the other planet. However, the Inhuman's followers, believing him to be destined to rule the world, formed a secret society with the sole purpose to bring their leader back to Earth. Over the centuries, the society grew and evolved, taking many different shapes, being called by many different names. Eventually, the society came in possession of the Monolith, and started sending men through the portal, hoping to save or at least serve their leader on the other side. But none of them ever came back. As its symbols changed, the society became known as HYDRA.2 Centuries of Attempts : "Will he come back?" "Our best minds are working to understand this. But as far as we know, in all of history... no one has ever returned." : ―Younger Lord and Thornallysrc The story of HYDRA's attempts to bring their leader back to Earth was eventually spread through the world, influencing groups obsessed with death and ritualistic killings, becoming intertwined with the origin of pagan devil myths. Their initial symbol was one for a sacrificial ram.2In 1839 at Gloucestershire, England, a group of HYDRA members assembled in a castle to have a lottery. He who grabbed the white stone from the bag was to enter the room housing the Monolith. Lord Manzini grabbed the white stone and was sent into the room with a few weapons and some equipment. The portal opened and swallowed Manzini who was never seen again. Apparently, he was but one of many to be sent as a sacrifice. HYDRA's best minds were employed to understand how the Monolith functions, but they never gathered enough data to bring anyone back. Eventually, HYDRA's scientists managed to construct a machine that could create powerful vibrations. In the late 1800s, they put the Monolith in a hole in the floor and activated the machine, turning the Monolith into its liquid form, creating a stable portal. For some reason, the castle and the machine were abandoned.3 Smaller pieces were cut off from the Monolith and given for safekeeping to various leaders of HYDRA.2 HYDRA-Abteilung Planting the Roots among the Nazis : "Howard, the footage you're about to see was just smuggled out of Nazi Germany by "Agent 13", an undercover operative the British have planted deep within HYDRA, Hitler's advanced weapons program." : ―Chester Phillipssrc When the Nazis came to power in Germany, a secret HYDRA member Johann Schmidt attempted to join the special weapons division of the Nazi Sturmabteilung (SA) led by Ernst Kaufmann so he could work on developing advanced weapons for the German Army. However, he was violently rejected and instead joinedHeinrich Himmler's Schutzstaffel (SS). In June 1934, during theNight of the Long Knives, Kaufmann and his entire unit were eliminated by Schmidt's SS troops. Only one man was spared, Doctor Arnim Zola. Schmidt took over Kaufmann's weapons program and formed his own research division, naming it HYDRA-Abteilung.4 The new unit was formed with the official approval of the Nazi Führer, Adolf Hitler.5 HYDRA-Abteilung was named after the mythological creature and used its original phrase: "cut off one head, two more will take its place". It was soon charged with science experiments and deep investigation of the occult. Due to contributions from Arnim Zola, HYDRA developed several extremely advanced weapons.6When the Spanish Civil War started in 1936, the leaders of the Third Reich decided to support the Nationalists led by Francisco Franco. HYDRA was among the German units sent by Adolf Hitler to assist the Nationalists on the battlefield. In April 1937, HYDRA's tanks and soldiers equipped with powerfulexo-skeleton battle suits destroyed the city of Guernica. At the time, it was believed the German air force, the Luftwaffe, was responsible for the destruction of the city. However, the footage of the slaughter was smuggled out of Germany by the British agent Margaret Carter and handed over to the US military in January 1940.7 The Beginning of World War II : "HYDRA is the Nazi deep science division. It's led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions." "HYDRA's practically a cult. They worship Schmidt, they think he's invincible." : ―Peggy Carter and Chester Phillips to Senator Brandtsrc In 1939, World War II broke out. HYDRA's leader Johann Schmidtactively participated in the Nazi conquest of Europe. Though the United States of America were not yet involved in the war, Schmidt knew that was only temporary. In 1940, HYDRA assassins attempted to kill the American industrialist Howard Stark, but with the help of Colonel Chester Phillips, Stark was able to defeat the attackers, and decided to join the Strategic Scientific Reserve.8 That November, at Castle Kaufmann in the Alps, Schmidt injected himself with Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum. He expected to become the superior man, but the unstable serum disfigured his face and turned him into a super strong megalomaniac villain. Erskine escaped with the help of Agent Peggy Carter, Colonel Phillips, and Stark.8Adolf Hitler gave Schmidt a military base in the Alps, which he turned into a headquarters of HYDRA. Over time, HYDRA members became more loyal to Schmidt than the Third Reich.6 Immediately after the start of the war, HYDRA began building several factories across the Nazi-occupied Europe. By 1942, they had factories in Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece,Poland, Italy, and Czechoslovakia. They used captured Allied soldiers to work in factories.6 They even had a U-boat base somewhere on the Mediterranean. The Rise of HYDRA : "My apologies, Doctor, but we both knew HYDRA could grow no further in Hitler's shadow. Hail HYDRA!" : ―Johann Schmidt to Arnim Zolasrc In March 1942, HYDRA stormed a castle in Tønsberg, Norwaywhere the mystical object known as the Tesseract was buried 531 years ago by Odin. Schmidt saw to it that the Tesseract would be used to its full potential by Arnim Zola. Zola's outlandish designs of robotic power armor, massive vehicles and energy weapons and armor could find a functional use thanks to the Tesseract's power, and with the most advanced technology in the world, HYDRA began their conquest that counted Berlin in its targets.6 In the meantime, a HYDRA officer, General Werner Reinhardt, was sent to search for other mysterious artifacts.10 Reinhardt's team was able to discover the blue-skinned extraterrestrial corpse in some unspecified location, possibly in the deserts of North Africa.11 The corpse was soon stored in HYDRA Research Facility Number 4 in Austria.10Soon, HYDRA's goals would be challenged by America's own super-soldier, Captain America. In November 1943, Rogers attacked theHYDRA factory in Austria, and managed to free all Allied soldiers who were imprisoned there. This was the first direct conflict between Rogers and Schmidt, who activated self destruct mode and escaped in the experimental plane. Aided by his best friend, Bucky Barnesand the Howling Commandos, Captain America began a massive assault on HYDRA forces across the Axis lines, destroying numerous bases.6During the first months of 1944, when the German air forcelaunched the last "Blitz", Schmidt sent a group of HYDRA agents toLondon to steal some blueprints from the Strategic Scientific Reserve. The agents were successful, but they were soon discovered and chased by Captain America who managed to capture all of them.12 In May 1944, the HYDRA submarine Leviathan destroyed an Allied merchant freighter in the Mediterranean with HYDRA's thunder lance torpedo, but Captain America, who was traveling on the sunken ship, boarded the submarine and captured it. Cap and Commandos infiltrated the HYDRA U-base where they discovered that the mysterious "Hydra serum" merged the entire base's staff into one octopus-like creature. Cap took the creature to Howard Stark to separate it back into individual men.9 In April 1944, HYDRA took possession of an old castle on an island in the Nazi-occupied Danish Straits. Schmidt was interested in that castle because of an ancient Viking runestone that was hidden there. The same month, Captain Rogers and the Howling Commandos invaded the castle. Schmidt attempted to destroy them through his "vita batteries" but they survived.8In the meantime, General Reinhardt managed to capture a group of people from China who had found the Obelisk, an object which could turn people into stone. When he showed the artifact to his leader, Schmidt said that the Obelisk may hold the answer to death itself. The Obelisk was soon stored in Reinhardt's fortress in Austria where he used it to experiment on his prisoners.10 By the beginning of 1945, Arnim Zola had to be moved to another HYDRA facility. However, his train was attacked by the Howling Commandos and he was captured. He was later moved to Londonwhere he was interrogated by Colonel Chester Phillips.6 Defeat : "Tomorrow, HYDRA will stand master of the world. Born to victory on the wings of the Valkyrie. Our enemies weapons will be powerless against us. If they shoot down one plane, hundreds more will rain fire upon them! If they cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!" : ―Johann Schmidtsrc Despite the loss of Doctor Zola, in May 1945 Schmidt was ready to launch the offensive that would change the face of the planet. The same day on which Schmidt intended to launch the attack, the base was infiltrated by Captain America, who was captured and brought before Schmidt himself. However, before Schmidt could kill his nemesis, the base was attacked by the Howling Commandosand the U.S. Army detachment led by Colonel Chester Phillips. Outnumbered, Schmidt's men were eventually defeated, but not before Schmidt flew away in his Tesseract-powered bomber, the Valkyrie. He intended to nuke all bigger cities in America. Captain America managed to board the plane and came face to face with Schmidt. When it became clear that Rogers was gaining the upper hand in the fight, Schmidt attempted to use the power of the Tesseract with his bare hands. This only resulted in a beam of light, similar in design to the Bifrost Bridge, which caused Schmidt to disappear, and forcing Rogers to put the bomber plane down in the freezing waters below, freezing himself solid and causing the Tesseract to be lost to the seas.6Immediately after Schmidt's disappearance, Werner Reinhardt had the Obelisk moved from his Austrian fortress to a more secure location, a research facility. A month later, he and his lieutenant attempted to empty the facility so they could escape with the artifacts and continue HYDRA's work. At that moment, Reinhardt's unit was the last active HYDRA cell. However, despite their hurry, the base was discovered and attacked by the US Army detachment led by the Strategic Scientific Reserve team composed of Peggy Carter, Dum Dum Dugan andJim Morita. After a short fight, the garrison of the base surrendered. All HYDRA soldiers were arrested and the artifacts, including theObelisk, were confiscated. However, before he was taken away, Reinhardt promised to Agent Carter that HYDRA would rise again.10 Rebirth After The War : "HYDRA died with the Red Skull." "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." : ―Captain America and Arnim Zolasrc In the aftermath of World War II, the United States started Operation Paperclip, a program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germanyfor employment by the United States and deny their scientific expertise and knowledge to the Soviet Union. As part of the operation, Zola was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D., the newly formed peacekeeping organization.13 Agent Carter then interrogated Reinhardt about his experiments with the Obelisk, and the girl he experimented on. Carter then had Reinhardt sent to the Rat to serve his life imprisonment.14 Many other former Nazis and HYDRA scientists escaped to South America, hoping to hide from justice. Several of them were employed by the government of Peru to make the new Tesseract-powered weapon. The government wanted to use the weapon against the rebels, but due to the instability of the Tesseract energy, the weapon ended up stuck in the undiscovered Incan temple.15 Various HYDRA operatives who escaped justice after World War II infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. shortly after the agency was formed, working secretly in their ranks. Over the next decades, led by Zola, HYDRA worked from the shadows, directing their agents to complete the tasks that were assigned.13Shortly after the war, Arnim Zola found Sergeant James Barnes,Captain America's war-time partner who was presumed deceased after falling to an icy death from Zola's train in 1945. Zola and other scientists took Barnes to one of HYDRA's secret bases, presumably in the territory held by the Soviet Union, where they replaced his lost left arm with the new cybernetic limb. They brainwashed him, and since he was already injected with another version of the Super Soldier Serum, they turned him into the new fist of HYDRA. Though he was wearing the communist red star on his new limb, Barnes never fought for the Soviet ideals, instead becoming HYDRA's best assassin known as the Winter Soldier. Over the next decades, he did much on creating chaos in the world, assassinating those who could pose a threat to HYDRA's goals, and spending time between missions in cryogenic sleep.13 Toward the New World Order : "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's New World Order will arise." : ―Arnim Zolasrc HYDRA's power eventually grew so much that they were able to orchestrate many Cold War events during the 1960s and 1970, including the Cuban missile crisis, the rise to power of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and the early 1980s recession.13 With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, Zola managed to build an entire computer system which his mind was uploaded into as an artificially intelligent user interface. Though Zola's body died in 1972, his mind continued to live in cyberspace, from which he was able to provide easy passage into the agency for more HYDRA sleeper agents.13By the early 1980s, HYDRA managed to infiltrate the Soviet power structures, establishing a secret laboratory in East Berlin. They continued their memory suppression experiments from World War II with the goal to create an army of brainwashed soldiers who would follow every order. However, the laboratory was infiltrated by Hank Pym, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who used his size-changing Ant-Man Suitto ruin the laboratory, destroy the Memory Suppressing Machine, free the prisoner and knock down all the guards.16In 1989, undersecretaryAlexander Pierce, an HYDRA sleeper agent, granted Werner Reinhardt a medical parole and made sure there were no records of him after this. Reinhardt was then taken back to his fortress where a group village elders from the Hunan province, which included thewoman he experimented on, were brought in. Seeing that she had not aged a day, Reinhardt then performed surgery on her to find out why the Obelisk did not kill her and why she did not age. Although he did not find the reason behind Obelisk's reason for sparing her, Reinhardt was able to use her DNA to regress his body back to a younger age. Reinhardt then took the name "Daniel Whitehall".14HYDRA also oversaw Project Deathlok in 1990, using the turncoat S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett as their first test subject. He was the first Deathlok. However, only the cybernetic components worked, and the organs were severely affected, leading Garrett to look for a solution to perfect Deathlok and to prevent his slow-coming death. 17In 1991, Howard and Maria Stark were killed in an automobile "accident" secretly arranged by HYDRA on Long Island13, this caused Tony Stark to inherit Stark Industries and become, at age 21, the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.18 Facing the Other Worlds : "The Tesseract is where it belongs, out of our reach." "That's not your call." "I didn't make it. I just didn't argue with the God that did." "So you let him take it and the war criminal, Loki, who should be answering for his crime." "Oh, I think he will be." : ―Nick Fury and Gideon Malicksrc In the meantime, Gideon Malick, a wealthy industrialist and one of HYDRA's heads, was working on Project Distant Star Return, hoping to bring HYDRA's ancient Inhuman leader back to Earth. Using his connections, he orchestrated the passage of the Monolith to NASA, with the hope that their technicians could send people on the other side.2 In 2001, a four men team was sent through the portal, never to return.19 Eventually, Malick became a member of the World Security Council.2 The HYDRA weapons and technology captured by the Strategic Scientific Reserve during the war were studied by S.H.I.E.L.D.. In 2011, S.H.I.E.L.D. started a program called "Phase 2", which involved reactivating the HYDRA weapons with the Tesseract for use against super-powered or other-worldly forces. Several cases of HYDRA weapons were stored aboard the Helicarrier. However, the weapons weren't needed, because when the Chitauri led by Loki invaded New York City, the aliens were defeated by the Avengers. During the battle, Malick ordered Nick Fury to nuke New York, which Fury refused, and later criticized Fury for allowing Thor to take the Tesseract and Loki to Asgard.20In the aftermath of the Battle of New York, HYDRA's leader BaronWolfgang von Strucker approached Mark Smith, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who worked on the Scepter with the scientist Nicholas Cooper, and offered him to join HYDRA. Dissatisfied with the way S.H.I.E.L.D. was led, Smith accepted the Baron's offer, killed Cooper, and stole the Scepter for HYDRA. Thanks to Smith's betrayal, HYDRA's scientists also got their hands on dozens of Chitauri Guns. Later, HYDRA built a research facility in the Eastern European country ofSokovia. Over the next two years, a team of scientists led by DoctorList and Baron von Strucker managed to use the Scepter to power the Chitauri Guns and HYDRA's own technology. They also conducted experiments on human volunteers, including the twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.21 The "Clairvoyant" : "HYDRA always comes back." : ―John Garrettsrc Following the Battle of New York, one of HYDRA's agents within S.H.I.E.L.D., John Garrett, going under the alias, the Clairvoyant,22, recruited and funded the Centipede Project to provide them withsuper-soldiers and to help keep himself from dying.17 Garrett also recruited the boxer Carl Creel, by faking his termination off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Index.10 One of the first was Mike Peterson.23 In his Clairvoyant persona, Garrett made people like Ian Quinn24 and Raina25 believe that he could see everything such as what the President dreams about.25 Garrett also had another sleeper agent, Grant Ward26, recruited by Phil Coulson for his team.23 Ward's mission was to find out about Coulson's revival.26 Garrett then had Coulson captured27 and interrogated for three days to find the secrets behind his revival in Tahiti.25 Garrett then ordered Quinn to shoot Skye.28 He then made sure that he would be the one to take Quinn in, and to have Coulson lead him to where he was revived. After getting inside, unbeknownst to Coulson and Leo Fitz, he took a few of the drugs and hid them in his vest before the place was destroyed.24 He then had Mike Peterson, going under the codename "Deathlok", turned into a cybernetic super soldier.29 HYDRA Uprising Project Insight : "Zola's algorithm evaluates peoples' past to predict their future." "And what then?" "Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me." "What then?!" "Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few millions at a time." : ―Jasper Sitwell and Captain Americasrc Two years after the Battle of New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. was much better armed than before, so it could easily repel any attack from other worlds. With new funds granted by the World Security Council, Nick Fury startedProject Insight, an operation which involved three heavily armed Helicarriers that were designed to proactively strike out against potential threats before they actually happened.13 However, HYDRA's agents used this opportunity to take control of the project. With Arnim Zola's special algorithm that could calculate who could be a threat to HYDRA in the future, the leader of HYDRA's S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, Alexander Pierce, intended to wipe out 20 million people from the face of the Earth.13 The End of S.H.I.E.L.D. :: "S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA." :: ―Captain Americasrc In 2014, the HYDRA infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. was finally exposed when corrupted senior official Alexander Pierce attempted to activate Project Insight early. Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanofflearned about the infiltration when they entered the secret bunker hidden beneath Camp Lehigh, which was housing Arnim Zola's mind, still alive on dozens of old computers. Though the camp was destroyed with the missile, Rogers and Romanoff survived the explosion. A day later, with the help of Sam Wilson they kidnapped Jasper Sitwell, but he was killed by HYDRA's best assassin, theWinter Soldier. The trio was captured by the STRIKE team, but they managed to escape with the help of Maria Hill.13Alexander Pierce demanded a mission report from the Winter Soldier after the failed assassination attempt on Captain America. However he had become erratic and aggressive due to flashbacks to his past. As Pierce believed that he could become a threat if left like this, he ordered that the Winter Soldier's mind be wiped. The procedure caused the Winter Soldier great physical pain.A day later, Rogers, Romanoff, Wilson, and Hill infiltrated the Triskelion, publicly revealing HYDRA's continued existence. Alexander Pierce and his men then captured all the members of the World Security Council, but they were freed by Romanoff. When HYDRA's agent Brock Rumlow launched the Insight Helicarriers, Romanoff, Rogers, Hill, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury managed to reprogram the Helicarriers to target each other. The battle left the Triskelion in shambles and resulted in the deaths of many HYDRA agents, including Pierce. Rumlow survived the battle, but he was badly burned, and the Winter Soldier abandoned HYDRA.13 The Age of Miracles :: "There are other facilities doing HYDRA's good work around the world. We'll feed them to Captain America and his colorful friends, keep them off our scent." "What about the volunteers?" "The dead will be buried so deep, their own ghosts won't be able to find them." :: ―Wolfgang von Strucker and Dr. Listsrc Despite the failure of Project Insight, HYDRA continued with its operations. At the same time when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, at the research facility in Sokovia, HYDRA's scientists were still conducting experiments on the Scepter, eventually learning that its power was much greater than they originally thought. Many civilian volunteers exposed to the power of the Scepter died in horrifying deaths. However, the twin brother and sister Wanda and Pietro Maximoff survived the experiments, gaining super powers.30Shortly after the Battle at the Triskelion, Dr. List came to Wolfgang von Strucker, afraid that the authorities would find their location, but von Strucker assured him that wasn't the case. As they walked toward the cells of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, von Strucker told the doctor that the age of miracles was upon them.30 New Battles :: "Out of the Shadows Into the Light HYDRA" :: ―Coded message for HYDRA sleeper agents within S.H.I.E.L.D.src In order to finish off S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA sent out an activation signal to all sleeper agents to target Level 8 S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and seize power. During the Battle at the Hub, John Garrett broke his cover and attempted to eliminate Agent Phil Coulson and several members of his team, but he was stopped and later arrested by Agent Victoria Hand. Garrett and the remaining HYDRA moles in the Hub were taken into prison.22 Meanwhile, HYDRA's sleeper agents in other S.H.I.E.L.D. bases were also activated. Several facilities fell into HYDRA's hands, including the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, the Treehouse, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s East African Headquarters. HYDRA's operatives also attempted to take control of the Cube, but they were outnumbered by the loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who managed to repel the attack.26 A fierce battle was fought for the control of the aircraft carrier Iliad, but HYDRA's moles were ultimately defeated.31 John Garrett , after escaping Agent Victoria Hand's custody with the aid of fellow HYDRA agent Grant Ward, continued to work on the Centipede Project at the HYDRA base in Havana, Cuba.22Garrett then raided the Fridge, stealing many items such as thePeruvian 0-8-4, the Berserker Staff, and the Gravitonium. They also freed a number of prisoners.22 Ultimately, his branch of HYDRA was defeated by the combined efforts of Phil Coulson, his team, andNick Fury, with their prisoners also freed and most of the stolen items recovered.32 Out of the Shadows The Winter Hunt :: "A "gifted" that refuses HYDRA is a threat. And threats are taken care of quickly. That's why HYDRA will win. Because while a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is considering right and wrong, HYDRA's already taken the shot." :: ―Grant Wardsrc Despite Colonel Glenn Talbot's massive manhunt for S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA agents and bases, HYDRA continued its plans for world domination by retreating to the shadows. Despite its existence being publicly known, HYDRA was still determined as ever to conquer the world by any means necessary. Their plans could go much easier as they now heavily outnumbered S.H.I.E.L.D. in men, bases, and resources.1033 Whitehall's Campaign :: "There were positives. Many of the deceased were enemies of HYDRA." "Some of us are pleased with these small triumphs. Others have loftier aspirations, passion, even. Our founder, he had his Tesseract. As for me, well, it would be an understatement to say that I've waited my whole life to get possession of the Obelisk, to harness its power." :: ―Lingenfelter and Daniel Whitehallsrc HYDRA agent, Sunil Bakshi, at the behest of Werner Reinhardt, now known as Doctor Daniel Whitehall, sent one of their assassins, Carl Creel to retrieve an 0-8-4.10 However, the Obelisk was then taken by Raina and Creel was then captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and turned over to General Talbot.33 Following that, HYDRA recruited former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jemma Simmons. In reality, however, Simmons was actually undercover for S.H.I.E.L.D. under orders from Director Coulson himself. HYDRA's next move was to locate Donnie Gill, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy student who displayed freezing powers. They found him inCasablanca, Morocco, but when the two agents approached him, he froze them both, killing them. A team led by Sunil Bakshi and Jemma Simmons was sent to capture him. When Gill encountered them on HYDRA's cargo ship Maribel del Mar, they managed to activate his mind control trigger. A S.H.I.E.L.D. team suddenly appeared and Bakshi ordered Gill to destroy them. However, Gill was shot by Skye and he fell off the ship. Bakshi then ordered his men to retreat.34 In the meantime, HYDRA managed to capture a former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Agent 33. Using the Faustus method, Whitehall brainwashed the agent to his cause.34 HYDRA also continued to investigate the Words of Creation that Garret had been carving. Bakshi, disguised as General Talbot, and Agent 33 were sent toMiami, Florida to retrieve a 500 year old painting that had the writing. However, in the ensuing battle, they lost the painting to Director Coulson and Agent Melinda May.35